Earth
The swamp wallaby is the only mammal that is permanently pregnant throughout its life according to new research about the reproductive habits of marsupials.
Unlike humans, kangaroos and wallabies have two uteri. The new embryo formed at the end of pregnancy develops in the second, 'unused' uterus. Then, once the newborn from the first pregnancy begins to suck milk, the new embryo enters a long period of developmental arrest that may last up to 11 months or more.
Half of the world's beaches could disappear by the end of the century due to coastal erosion, according to a new study led by the JRC.
Erosion is a major problem facing sandy beaches that will worsen with the rising sea levels brought about by climate change. According to the study, published today in Nature Climate Change, effective climate action could prevent 40% of that erosion.
It has become evident recently that the interactions between copper and amyloid-β neurotoxically impact the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease. KAIST researchers have reported a new strategy to alter the neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease by using a rationally designed chemical reagent.
Lithium-ion batteries are used around the world and though over the last few years they have had some competition, such as sodium and magnesium, they continue to be indispensable due to their high density and capacity. The issue is this: this metal has major availability and concentration problems. Almost 85% of its reserves are located in what is known as the Lithium Triangle, a geographical area found on the borders of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. In addition, it seems that demand will rocket over the next few decades because of the implementation of electric vehicles.
Compared with traditional chemical methods, enzyme catalysis has numerous advantages. But it also has weaknesses. Some enzymes are not very stable. Enzymes that convert hydrogen peroxide are even inactivated by high concentrations of the substrate. A research team at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), together with international partners, has developed a process in which the starting material, i.e. hydrogen peroxide, is fed to the biocatalysts in a controlled manner using plasma. The enzymes themselves are protected from harmful components of the plasma by a buffer layer.
Marsupials such as kangaroos or wallabies are known for their very different reproductive strategy compared to other mammals. They give birth to their young at a very early stage and significant development occurs during a lengthy lactation period in which the offspring spends most of its time in a pouch.
Within hours of birth, a baby's gaze is drawn to faces. Now, brain scans of newborns reveal the neurobiology underlying this behavior, showing that as young as six days old a baby's brain appears hardwired for the specialized tasks of seeing faces and seeing places.
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the findings by psychologists at Emory University. Their work provides the earliest peek yet into the visual cortex of newborns, using harmless functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic published this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggests that all women with a breast cancer diagnosis under the age of 66 be offered germline genetic testing to determine if they have a gene mutation known to increase the risk of developing other cancers and cancers among blood relatives. Current guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommend germline testing for all women diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 46 regardless of their family history and breast cancer subtype.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA March 2, 2020--Autism manifests in myriad forms. Symptoms and severity vary from person to person, but all autism spectrum disorders share three core symptoms: impaired social interactions, communication deficits, and excessive repetitive behaviors.
No existing medications can adequately treat the core symptoms, and new treatments are urgently needed.
Youth on the streets are calling for "systems change, not climate change." And, according to a new report by Future Earth, the digital transformations unfolding today could help answer this call.
Historically, the report says, climate and digital agendas have been approached as two independent issues but increasingly are recognized as intertwined. Humans are connected to each other through and dependent on both the digital and the natural worlds.
Kevin Costner, eat your heart out. New research shows that the early Earth, home to some of our planet's first lifeforms, may have been a real-life "waterworld"-- without a continent in sight.
The study, which appears March 2 in Nature Geoscience, takes advantage of a quirk of hydrothermal chemistry to suggest that the surface of Earth was likely covered by a global ocean 3.2 billion years ago. It may even have looked a bit like the post-apocalyptic, and land-free, future imagined in Costner's infamous film Waterworld.
Helical shapes are very familiar in the natural world and, at the molecular level, of DNA, the very blueprint of life itself.
Scientists at the University of Bristol have now found that carbon chains can also adopt helical shapes, but, unlike DNA, the shape is dependent on how many atoms there are in the chain, with chains having even numbers of carbon atoms adopting helical, fusilli-like shapes and chains with odd numbers of carbon atoms adopting floppy, spaghetti-like shapes.
From sky-high acrobatics to sultry-sequined burlesque, Adelaide's annual Fringe festival has long been transforming the city into an eclectic and vibrant hive of activity, attracting millions of visitors and directing millions of dollars into the South Australian economy.
Yet, beyond the economics, new study from the University of South Australia shows that the Adelaide Fringe also plays a crucial role in building the State's social capital, a factor which is helping to combat South Australia's 'brain drain'.
Since the discovery of submarine hydrothermal vents around 40 years ago, these natural chemical reactors have been a focus for evolutionary researchers searching for the origin of life. The vents emit hot water containing minerals, including simple but reactive chemical substances such as hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Conditions like these could have resulted in the very first biochemical reactions, and thus in the emergence of the first free living cells.
Within seconds the new material can be completely transformed. Initially, the material is transparent and either in liquid or paste form; then, when any part of it is irradiated with the appropriate light, the entire resin begins to solidify and takes on a dark colour. The special epoxy resin formula that makes this possible has been patented by TU Wien. Now, researchers have even successfully carried out the process underwater.